In 1967, they appeared on a bill with Traffic and the Tremeloes. 1968 saw them touring with the Small Faces and, in 1970, the City Hall rocked out to their newly-released opus, Tommy. The band also played the city’s Mayfair ballroom.

As the ‘70s progressed, the band became one of the biggest on the planet.

But, a series of shows at Newcastle Odeon hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in November, 1973.

The Chronicle reported: “The Who lived up to its reputation for violence on stage with an expensive display of guitar and amplifier smashing last night.

“The concert was stopped in chaos when Pete Townshend bawled out sound engineers, destroyed pre-recorded backing tapes, and smashed up equipment. It was a ridiculous display of violence.” The band, upset by ongoing sound problems, partied heavily later that night at the Five Bridges Hotel in Gateshead.

We reported how “police went to the band’s luxury suite in the early hours of the morning to investigate a reported disturbance.”

The Who were back in Newcastle in February 1981, with Kenney Jones replacing Moon the Loon behind the drums.

“The Who turned down the lights, turned up the volume and turned on the magic for the first of their two nights at the City Hall,” wrote our reviewer.

“Classics like Substitute, I Can’t Explain, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Pinball Wizard, and Who Are You still can’t be beaten.”

Their first Arena show came in 2000. Our reviewer declared: “The Who were all about raw power, and even in 2000, the grand old men of rock still have the ability to roll back the years.”

They were back in 2007, and again last year performing their 1973 concept album Quadrophenia.

Speaking last week, Townshend admitted: “We are what we are, and extremely good at it, but we’re lucky to be alive and still touring.”